The 26th edition of The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2016 provides a national snapshot of Canada’s forests and forest industry. With a focus on sustainable forest management, the report describes Canada’s rich forest resources and our success in managing them sustainably.

Forest growth on private U.S. timberlands exceeded harvest by 40% in six years

Following quickly on the heels of the Canadian government’s report, The State of Canada’s Forests, a group in the United States has published a similar report on the health of privately-owned U.S. timberland.

Canada’s forest industry is a major exporting sector, accounting for almost 6% of all Canadian exports in 2014, totaling $31 billion.

Over the past six years, forest products have contributed to 8-10% of the manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP). In fact, forestry creates more jobs and contributes to the balance of trade for every dollar of value added more than the minerals and metals sector, as well as the energy sector.

In the forest, nothing stays the same for long. Canada’s forest cover is perpetually lost and gained through disturbances, regeneration and growth. But interestingly, nearly all forest lands remain forest lands.

Canada’s forests are influenced by a range of disturbances that vary in severity, extent and frequency.